Join Foundations on Tuesday 8 July for the DFG High-Cost Adaptations Summit taking place at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre.
Adapt My Home
Adapt my Home is an online self-assessment tool for members of the public to quickly check if they could be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
There are 5 key elements to the tool which can be used collectively or individually:
- Postcode lookup to search for your local authority
- A guided self-assessment on what type of common adaptations may be beneficial
- A guided decision maker on whether to consider moving as an alternative to adapting
- An indicative assessment on eligibility for a DFG
- An indicative means test result
At the end of the assessment the user is given the option to submit the details to their local authority as a referral.
Local Authority Search
By entering their postcode, a user will be presented with the DFG contact details for the local authority area. This includes both housing and social services where they are separate.
Local authorities can also use this search to check the information that we’re providing is correct. We can update any information or provide admin access for authorities to update their own details. Please email us for details or use the contact form at the end of this page.
We also use these details to know where to forward referrals following an indicative assessment.
Guided Self-Assessment
The user is asked a series of questions about themselves and their home to build up a picture of how suitable their home is for them, and which common adaptations may help. We have limited the question set to issues around getting into and out of the house, climbing the stairs and managing in the bathroom as these are by far the most common types of adaptation funded by the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
At the end of the assessment, the user is presented with a series of recommendations on how they could adapt their home together with a score indicating how suitable their home is for them at present. Anyone scoring 50% or less is invited to use our decision-making tool (Should I Stay?) to help them consider if moving could be a good option for them.
If the assessment shows that adaptations that could be funded by DFG may be helpful, then the user is invited to take an indicative assessment of whether they would be eligible to apply.
Should I Stay?
The ‘Should I Stay?’ decision maker is based on the Pugh Method and has 3 steps:
- Enter the moving options you want to consider, for example: extra care housing, sheltered accommodation, living with family, moving to a bungalow, etc.
- Rate 10 factors on a scale of 1-10 based on how important they are to you. These 10 factors are based on the studies looking at the factors that people most often consider when looking to move home in later life.
- For each of the options you chose in step 1, answer whether each of the 10 factors from step 2 would be the same, better or worse than staying where you live now.
Based on your answers the tool scores and ranks your options so that the user can see what might be the best one to choose.
Indicative Assessment of DFG Eligibility
This section asks the user a further set of questions to establish whether they may be eligible for a DFG – considering issues such as whether it’s the disabled person’s main residence, how long they intend to live there and whether the property is generally in good repair.
The section includes a disclaimer that the result is only indicative and that the user should contact their local authority to discuss any issues.
At the end of the assessment the user is given the option to send an email to their local authority with all of the information they have provided as a referral for further assessment.
For local authorities who use Foundations Case Manager, this information can be used to automatically create a new case.
Means Test Calculator
The means test is quite complicated so we’ve designed this calculator to simplify it as much as we can and show the user much they might have to contribute towards a DFG. It doesn’t include all the questions in the full means test but will give a good indication for most people. We know that many Councils have removed means testing for some or all of their DFG applications and users are advised to contact their local authority to check.
Those who are self-employed, have foster children, receive child maintenance payments or have a war pension will also need to speak to their local council.
About Adapt My Home
This version of Adapt My Home has been developed in partnership with Leeds Beckett University and funded by Innovate UK.
We’ve heard from many users that the process of applying for a DFG can be a long and frustrating experience, and that sometimes people would only find out that they are not eligible after waiting months for an assessment. With this tool, many users will be able to check in minutes.
The objective is to give users a range of tools that they can use to check if their home is suitable for them, and options on what they can do about it. We have focused on the most common types of adaptations to start with and would welcome feedback on how we can further develop the functionality in the future.
Feedback for Adapt My Home
Please tell us what you think and how we can further improve these tools
